Fun times with Bayli and Ethan

 Talofa Everyone!

It's been a great week spending time with Bayli and Ethan!  The weather has cooperated while they've been here and we've been able to show them around the Islands a bit.  The week started out kinda busy because we were trying to get everything done that we could so we would have more time to get away at the end of the week and weekend.  We also had the opportunity on Tuesday morning to attend FSY for an hour while the mission leaders and some of the missionaries put on a devotional for all of the youth.  The FSY was held at the Pesega school here on the compound.  There were about 1000 youth who attended.  They slept in classrooms on the floor, and had all their activities and devotionals at the school facilities. The senior couple missionaries got to sit on the stage (like we were real important--HAHA).  (Samoans are really respectful to their Elders). But it was fun because we could see out over the entire youth congregation and they sang their FSY songs to us.  They sang "I"m a Disciple of Christ" and they had such beautiful loud voices that it gave me chills.  Two of the missionary zones sang a couple of songs and recited the  "missionary purpose" that's in the "Preach my Gospel". Then President and Sister Reid talked. I thought to myself that most youth from the states probably wouldn't attend FSY if they had to sleep in hot school classrooms on the floor instead of college dorms!  But they all seemed to be having a great time! 

We picked up Bayli and Ethan on Wednesday afternoon. We just stayed at our place Wednesday night and showed them around the mission home area.  I cooked them dinner.  Thursday we worked in the morning.  Bayli came over to the office with me and helped me laminate some papers and put together welcome packets for the new missionaries who are coming in on August 1st. Ethan went with Elder G. to do a few MQ repair jobs.  We introduced them to some of the missionaries who were at the office for PPI interviews as well as some of the other senior missionaries.  Thursday afternoon we took them to a place close by called Papassea Sliding Rocks. I'll send pictures. We were going to go snorkeling at this place down by the wharf after that, but they said the tide was too low so we'd have to come back on another day.  We went to dinner at a place called Phat Burger.  On Friday morning we started out on our "2-day island tour of Upolu" going first to the Northeast side, stopping our the way at Saniatu  (the place David O McKay dedicated where there is a school now) . Then we drove to the southeast side and stopped at the  "Soa Ocean Trench". It's this place that has a big trench that comes from the ocean underneath the island and there's a place on the land that has a couple of big holes where you can get down into the trench. It's kind of like a tunnel or cave into the ocean.  I succumbed to peer pressure and actually went off the platform into the trench--only once--that was enough for me, HaHa! The ladder down into and up out of the tench was kinda scary. After we did that we drove for another hour down the South side of the island and arrived at "Return to Paradise", the resort where we stayed overnight.  When we got there, Ethan, Bayli, and Dad tried out the snorkeling gear at the ocean beach there.  They saw some cool fish! We ate dinner at the resort and then went to bed.  We were tired!  Saturday morning we checked out after breakfast and met up with a missionary to give him some medicine. Then we drove to the Giant Clam Sanctuary and they went snorkeling there for about an hour!  Ethan's back got sunburned while he was looking at clams and searching for turtles.  I watched them from the sea pool ledge along the shore.  I didn't dare try to swim without a floatation device of some kind. I should have learned to swim when I was younger. After that, we drove down around the west side of the island and back to the north side where we started.  We made it home just in time for a baptism at 4:00that was at a nearby church. It was for 3 young men who had been taught by the sister missionaries in that area.  After ice cream and cookies for refreshments we went to a place near the wharf for dinner,  That was where we took the picture of the girl who works there with a tattoo that says "Collins" on her forearm.   

Sunday morning we went to 9:00 church in a Samoan language ward. We had to go early so we could drive to the Ferry wharf to catch the ferry to Savaii.  Bayli and Ethan went up on the top of the ferry for the trip.  Dad stayed in the vehicle with his head as still as possible and his eyes closed so I rode in there with him.  He survived another ferry ride without throwing up so I think he's getting better at it!  When we got to Savaii, we drove around a little bit. We went to the Savaii church school called Viaola.  There are some stairs on the mountain that go up to the VIAOLA letters, so we took all 220 of them! (Ethan and Bayli counted).  We stayed at the same resort that we've stayed at the last couple of time we stayed over in Savaii.  On Monday,(today)we drove to some waterfalls and to the blow holes, took pictures,and drove back to catch the 4::00 PM ferry to Upolu.  It was a short trip, but worth it. Bayli caught soje beautiful sunset pictures when we were driving on the coast back to the mission home.  

Today there were 11 sister missionaries and 2 Elders who came in from their areas to finish up their missions. There will be an Outtake dinner for them tomorrow night and Outtake testimony meeting on Wednesday morning. Bayli and Ethan will get to be here for those celebrations so that will be fun to have them see how they do it in Samoa.  

I'm looking forward to having them here for a couple more days!

This week I read President Nelson's April 2021 conference that was part of Come Follow Me study. It was about how having faith in Jesus Christ will Move Mountains.  

I loved the five things he told us that would increase our Faith: 1-STUDY-Learn the doctrine of Christ by studying his words and teachings.  2. BELIEVE-choose to believe rather than doubt. 3.  ACT-receive more faith by acting in faith, by doing something that requires more faith.  4. PARTAKE of the sacred ordinances of God-to unlock the power of God in your life, and  5. ASK-your Heavenly Father in the name of Jesus Christ for help.  I love the scriptures in Alma 32 that talk about how to grow your Faith.  Alma 32:21,26-27 are a few of my favorites.